The familiar settings will stay the same as Jordan Farmar takes the next step in his NBA career. He will stay in his hometown of Los Angeles, play games at Staples Center and compete for an NBA championship.

But one drastic difference emerged. Farmar will no longer play for the Lakers. On Sunday, he accepted the Clippers’ bi-annual exception of two years worth $4.2 million, including a player option for the second season.

“Lakers fans are mad at me,” Farmar said in an interview with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group. “They’re going crazy. But they don’t understand the business side of it.”

The Lakers liked Farmar after he averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 assists last season. Despite appearing in only 41 games because of injuries that included a torn left hamstring and a strained right groin that has since healed, Farmar impressed the Lakers with improved maturity from his first stint (2006-2010). Yet, the Lakers have offered no assurances toward any of their role players. They are still waiting for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony to decide whether they will join the Lakers.

“It would’ve been an easy decision if the Lakers said, ‘We want to make you a point guard and offer you ‘X, Y and Z,’” Farmar said. “Even if they get Carmelo or LeBron, they wouldn’t have any money left for me, Nick (Young) or whoever else wanted to sign as a Laker.”

Despite drawing interest and more lucrative offers from unspecified overseas and NBA teams, Farmar zeroed in on the Clippers after backup point guard Darren Collison departed for the Sacramento Kings.

“The Clippers organization is moving in the right direction. They’re young, fun and competitive,” said Farmar, a former UCLA and Woodland Hills Taft High standout. “I’m excited to be able to play here in front of my friends and family, live in my house and be comfortable.”

Farmar enjoyed that luxury as a Laker. He became a key reserve who played a part in two NBA championships, in 2009 and 2010. Farmar re-joined the Lakers last season on a one-year deal worth around $1 million, marking a substantial decrease from the $10 million he would have earned through two more years with his Turkish team, Anadolu Efes.

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“I want to thank the Lakers organization and Lakers fans for always accepting me. Being able to come back home and play was special,” Farmar said. “I’m thankful for the Clippers’ opportunity. I look forward toward bringing another championship to the city of Los Angeles.”

Keeping attendance

Kobe Bryant, Anthony and Kevin Love took the Twitter world by storm amid speculation they played a pickup game on Sunday at UCLA. Bruins officials also perpetuated the rumor on Twitter.

But a UCLA official said that Bryant was the only player seen on the campus, and the previous UCLA Twitter dispatches were non-eyewitness accounts. Anthony was seen working out at the UCLA campus last week, coinciding with his free agency meeting on Thursday with the Lakers at their practice facility in El Segundo. The UCLA official added Love was not seen at UCLA on Sunday.

NBA players regularly compete in pickup basketball games on UCLA’s campus during the offseason.

Etc

The Houston Rockets expressed interest in Lakers reserve forward Kent Bazemore, according to a league source ... Nets coach Lionel Hollins is intrigued with having Lakers assistant coach Johnny Davis join his coaching staff, according to a league source.